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Alex Massie: Second Brexit vote lights indyref2 fuse

Alex Massie

We cannot justify revisiting one referendum result — but not the other

Delivering the Scottish government’s budget last week, finance secretary Derek Mackay warned MSPs that he might have to revisit his calculations in the event of the UK crashing out of the EU without reaching a satisfactory withdrawal agreement and the transition period that depends on that deal being made. That doubtless helps to explain why this was a modest budget, almost entirely bereft of large-scale initiatives or grandiose ambition.

This makes sense. Mackay delivered a provisional budget well suited to provisional times. As matters stand, he should be preparing to revisit his numbers because the prospect of a no-deal Brexit is much higher than commonly understood — indeed, it is the most likely prospect of all.

Nothing that has happened in the past extraordinary, mortifying,…

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